Review: It's been a long time between drinks for German combo Bambi Davidson, whose last full-length - the lo-fi rock oddity El Faco - dropped some 15 years ago. After a decade and a half of improvisational live performances, they return with an expanded line-up and a really rather good sophomore set for Mudd's Claremont 56 imprint. Whereas their early work was stripped-back and to the point, Brunswick is packed with undulating, expansive grooves, gentle, sun-kissed melodies, lilting pedal steel and woozy, dub-influenced production. Tracks don't so much come and go, but meander attractively, offering Balearic mood pieces that doff a cap to krautrock and dub disco. It's an impressive set, all told, and one that will appeal to Claremont 56's growing fan base.

Review: After 15 years of live space-rock improvisations and jam sessions around Europe, Bambi Davidson finally got round to delivering their second LP last month. Warmly received by old fans and new, here we find the title track repurposed as an extensive 13 minute exercise in spatial expressionism. Dreamy, deep and full of endless twists and turns, this is the epitome of modern cosmicity. Claremont never cease to surge forward.

Review: Here's a question for you: What happens when you take a track by a British power trio heavily influenced by blues and psychedelia, and get a master of wayward, left-of-centre Balearica to remix it? You get the latest 12" missive from Claremont 56, which sees Bella Figura's "Better Man" reworked twice in impressive fashion by Magic Feet boss Craig Bratley. If you are familiar with Bratley's output for s It Balearic, Bird Scarer and Tsuba, you know the man breathes cosmic goodness and his work on Bella Figura's track offers a subtle new version that loses none of Justin Gartry's bluesy poignancy whilst adding a sparsely treated beat and plenty of low lying studio trickery.

Review: Anyone who's ever run a record label will happily tell you how it's rare to find musical gold amongst the many demos speculatively submitted by up-and-coming producers. Imagine Claremont 56 boss Paul Murphy's surprise, then, when he received these superb cuts from previously unheralded German musician Ferdi Schuster. Naturally, he snapped them up straight away. A-side "Little River", in particular, is spectacularly good. Based around the sound of a babbling brook, sun-kissed acoustic guitar licks, vintage synthesizer solos and a languid, samba-inspired groove, it's a grade-A chunk of Balearic brilliance. While B-side "Befreit" doesn't quite reach these dizzying heights, it's still a wonderful trip into sunrise-friendly downtempo territory. As debut singles go, it's little less than stunning.

Review: Dial 81 and tell them it's an emergency... Blair French has dropped his second single this year and there are only 300 copies in existence! Following "Standing Still Is An Illusion" on Rocksteady Disco come two more sublime Balearic affairs that fit Claremont 56 like a snug pair of speedos; "Sandbar Caviar" wafts and sways with island waves as gentle arpeggios ebb and flow creating harmonies and cosmic textures while "Inland Island" adjusts our seats to a horizontal position with its snaking bassline and spacious percussion gradually opening into a heavenly vocal and guitar lead that's tantamount to transcendental.

Review: Claremont 56 boss Paul Murphy fell in love with Pan Electric's 2004 cut "Sweet as Rain" after hearing it in Japan a few years ago. Since it has never previously been released on vinyl, he decided to license it from its creator, veteran producer Matt Coldrick. As sublime piece of next-level downtempo bliss rich in Marimba style melodies, calming acoustic guitars and traditional Ethiopian vocals, "Sweet as Rain" is near perfect in every way. Brilliantly, Coldrick has also provided a recently reworked "Album version" which stretches out enticingly for 10 minutes across all of side B. Slower to build and laden with mesmerizing musical elements, it's even better than the magical original mix.

Review: As we continue to recover from the sheer awesomeness of Paqua's debut album Alkaliko, Claremont 56 commission two very special versions of the modern day Balearic hymn "The Visitor". Ray Mang reminds us of the true meaning of dub as we're immersed in a truly enveloping dynamic where flickers of the original's vocals fly and in and out of the mix. Idjut Boys follow a similar sentiment but instead of teasing us with the vocal shades, they extend, break down and rebuild the instrumentation in a way only they know how. Super-limited, this is the perfect complement to a perfect album.

Review: As Claremont 56's superb Originals series of crate-digging compilations tiptoes towards the final curtain (a celebratory vinyl box-set is due later in the year), label boss Paul Murphy hands the reigns over towards longtime pals DJ Spun and Ben Cook, the men behind San Fran/New York imprint Rong Music. If you've heard either DJ, you'd expect their selection to jump between a myriad of dubby, stargazing styles, and that's exactly what they deliver. From the intergalactic ambience of Space Time Continuum's "Transmitter", to the low-slung dub disco of Futura 2000, via the Balearic house shuffle of FM Inc and spaced-out punk-funk of Big Boys, it's a treasure trove of thrillingly atmospheric obscurities. Recommended... as usual.

Review: Seven years since the last Smith & Mudd album kissed our ears... Gorthlek is a long-awaited treat that's landed (by no coincidence we suspect) right at the start of prime sandy season. Picking up where they left us (together and as part of the Bison collective), it's every bit as soul soothing, soft-focus and poised as you'd expect. It's the weight and richness that will grab most fans the hardest; amid the floral pastoral instrumentation on tracks such as "Alrick" and "Gorthlek Part 1", there's real swampy bluesy fusion such as "Mr Coats", there's fiddle-flipping cosmic folk on "Enos" and naked piano striking drama on the closure "Gorthlek Part 2". Instrumental Balearic bliss.

Review: For the recording sessions for Gorthleck, long-running collaborators Paul 'Mudd' Murphy and Ben Smith set up a small studio in a loch-side house in the Scottish highlands. The dramatic scenery and ever-changing weather patterns seem to have proved inspirational, because the album is arguably the downtempo duo's strongest to date. Variously influenced by kosmiche, Balearica, neo-folk, ambient, Tangerine Dream and movie soundtracks, the album's nine tracks meander along impressively, subtly shifting shape whilst winding their way into your subconscious. It's a beautiful set from start to finish, rich with hazy musicality and mood-enhancing moments, and comes highly recommended.

Review: Benjamin Smith and Paul "Mudd" Murphy rarely disappoint, as those who copped 2016 album Gorthleck will confirm. "Janet 50" marks the experienced duo's first new material since (though we have it on good authority that a fresh full-length is also on the way). The track is typical of their work, with sumptuous, jazzy guitars, deep space effects and rich electric piano parts reclining over a blazed, Balearic disco groove. It's a sublime piece of music, all told, which is arguably made even better by B-side remixer I:Cube. The Parisian veteran thrillingly re-casts the track as a spacey, synthesizer-heavy treat rich in bleep techno inspired bass, Kelley Polar synths, gentle acid lines and Ben Smith's brilliant guitar improvisations. In other words, it's out-of-this-world good.

Review: As he did to celebrate Claremont 56's fifth birthday, Paul "Mudd" Murphy has enlisted the help of the Idjut Boys to mark the passing of the label's first decade. This time round, the long-serving dub disco duo has put together a spellbinding, two-disc mix of specially commissioned material. Of course, they've gone to town, blending the label's 10th birthday tracks with oodles of dub delay, all manner of trippy effects, and a swathe of their own specially prepared dubs, DJ tools and re-edits. These intoxicating, mind altering versions are showcased in unmixed form on disc three, following two discs of horizontal Balearic bliss, slow-dance goodness and the impossible-to-pigeonhole antics of Can founder Holgar Czukay.

Review: Paul 'Mudd' Murphy has form when it comes to putting together must-have vinyl box sets. A few years back, he brought the Originals series of Balearic compilations to a close with a fine box set. Now, to celebrate the 10th birthday of his Claremont 56 label, he's put together another lavishly produced, five-vinyl set, this time made up of brand new or previously unheard material. As you'd expect, highlights come thick and fast, from the dubbed-out quirkiness of Holgar Czukay's "Music To Be Murdered By" and the rubbery electrofunk of Phil Mison's remix of FreshRo's "Pacific State", to the samba-boogie of Jex Opolis's remix of Paraiso, and deep space Balearic bliss of Leo Cecranti's "Andromeda Bound". Throw in killer reworks from Lexx, Bjorn Torske, Ron Trent, Larry Heard, Emperor Machine, and Murphy himself, and you have an essential collection.

Review: Waxwood generally likes to keep his identity on the down low, though it was confirmed recently that he's a Brooklyn-based Russian with a penchant for cosmic and spiritual music from around the world, as well as layered ambient experimentation and intoxicating house and techno beats. All of these traits come to the fore on "Kama", which sees him pepper a rolling, head-nodding hypno-house groove with simmering strings, relaxed electronics and chiming melody lines. It's rather good, all told, as is the more obviously Balearic flipside revision by Swiss crew Fuga Ronto, which adds guitars, electric bass and new backing vocals for an even wider-eyed listening experience.

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